Indianapolis Colts linebacker Erik Walden could miss Sunday’s road game against the Arizona Cardinals after being suspended one-game by the NFL for head-butting a Tennessee player in Thursday night’s victory.

“Erik has been suspended for one game and he will be appealing it with the league as soon as possible,” Colts general manager Ryan Grigson said in a text to The Star.

Fox Sports first reported the league’s intent to suspend Walden. The Colts first learned about the suspension around 5 p.m.

That Walden plans to appeal isn’t a surprise.

He wants to remain an active part of the defense when the Colts visit Arizona on Sunday and the suspension is without pay, meaning a player forfeits a game check for $176,470, or 1/17th of his $3 million base salary.

The Colts likely would adjust to playing without Walden by filling his starting strong-side spot with either rookie Bjoern Werner or Cam Johnson. Walden has 28 tackles and two sacks in 10 starts.

The discipline is a result of Walden ripping the helmet off of Tennessee tight end Delanie Walker and headbutting him during the second quarter of last Thursday night’s game at LP Field in Nashville.

Walden was penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness. He apologized for his action, insisting he got caught up in the heat of the moment.

“You have to maintain your composure at all times,” Walden said after the game. “I take full responsibility for that. It’s something where I got caught up in the game and he got under my skin a little bit. There’s no hard feelings. But I don’t want that to happen again because it could cost your team.”

Walker, meanwhile, took great exception. He described Walden’s actions as “bush league” and a result of him “whuppin’’ Walden during the early portions of the game.

“I was whupping his butt ... and he cat couldn’t take it when he was getting whupped,’’ Walker said. “He got frustrated and he should have been ejected for what he did.

“That’s bush league and that’s the type of stuff we don’t need in this league.’’

Call Star reporter Mike Chappell at (317) 444-6830. You can follow him on Twitter at @mchappell51.